I'm not going anywhere
by Ellie-oxo
Summary: Set after Mount Weather. Abby suffers from nightmares of her ordeal and Marcus stays by her side.


The walk back to camp lasts over eight hours. Marcus stays by her side the whole way there, limping slightly. His leg isn't fully healed yet, so each step sends sharp, shooting pain up his leg. The pain is bearable, but still uncomfortable, although he tries not to let it show. Instead, he focuses his attention on the woman being carried on a stretcher next to him with a blanket wrapped around her. She's clearly exhausted, that much is obvious and covered in bruises that will take weeks to heal, but he can't deny that she still looks beautiful.

Watching the Mountain Men drill into her and forcibly extract bone marrow from her had broken something inside him and had struck fear into his very core. It's only when she blacked out during the process that he felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out and tears had streamed freely down his face. He'd thought that she was dead. But, then moments later she'd blinked open her eyes wearily and hope had filled him.

When they reach the gates of Camp Jaha, he gets the urge to take her hand. He needs something to assure himself that she's still alive, that she's okay. So he does.

As soon as he takes her cold hand into his warm one and traces his fingers lightly over the back of her hand, Abby's eyes catch his and something passes between them. It's almost overwhelming, the utter adoration she sends his way. But then again, he's pretty sure he's got the same look in his eyes. It's the pain behind her eyes though that causes him to tighten his grip on her hand and smile softly at her.

Abby looks away first, but doesn't let go of his hand. Instead, she returns the gesture and tightens her grip on his hand, silently refusing to let go as they approach Medical.

* * *

Later, he's about to leave Medical to check on the others who are recovering from the antics of Mount Weather when Abby's hand flies out to grasp his own, the one he'd removed from her own just moments ago when he thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Don't go."

It comes out as barely a whisper, but it reaches his ears nonetheless. He turns to face her once again and he feels as if a thousand daggers had just been thrust into his chest. Her eyes are glassy and he can see the fear she normally tries so hard to hide. He's never seen her this vulnerable before.

His eyes spot a chair a few feet away from him. He removes his hand from hers, only for a moment, and drags the chair next to the cot she temporally inhabits. He sits down next to her, ignoring the pain in his leg and entwines their fingers, squeezing her hand in comfort.

His gaze is intense as he stares into her eyes, but his smile is softer.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

It doesn't take long for Abby to fall into a deep slumber. Marcus keeps his eyes on hers and his hand tucked securely into hers, reassuring her that he's not about to leave her side. He knows he should really be getting some sleep himself, but he can't bring himself to close his eyes, afraid that when he awakens she won't be there.

He doesn't know the exact moment when he'd started thinking of Abby as more than just his friend, as more than the Chancellor of the Camp. There's always been undeniable tension between them, he knows that much. It's only sometime during those past few months on the ground that it's escalated further into something slightly more than friendship, but nothing close to being romantic.

He's on the verge of nodding off when she starts twitching slightly. It lasts only a moment, but it's enough to get his attention and snap him out of his sleepy state. At first, he thinks he's imagined it, but then she starts fidgeting even more. Her breathing grows heavier.

"No," she whimpers.

Her legs start thrashing, causing the blanket to fall below her waist and he can see sweat beginning to form on her face. He moves out of the chair at high speed and cups her face in his free hand. Her skin is cold and clammy against his.

"Abby," he whispers.

She doesn't awaken, but her breathing only increases.

"Abby, hey," he continues, much firmer this time, stroking his fingers across her cheek. "Wake up, Abby, wake up."

Her eyes blink open wearily. Her gaze is unfocused, confused even. She can make out the faint outline of him above her, can feel the warmth radiating off him. She immediately mistakes him for one of the Mountain Men, holding her down and about to restraint her.

A panicked scream escapes her throat and she darts up into an upright position. She starts struggling against him, kicking and pushing him away. Marcus grabs her arms and pulls her into his chest, holding her steady to prevent her from hurting herself and him.

"It's okay, Abby" he murmurs, feeling her struggle against him.

He runs her fingers through her hair in a desperate attempt to reassure her.

"It's okay."

Her hands start to curl into his shirt, her lungs letting out air in slow and heavy motions. She begins to register where she is and presence of the man holding her.

"Marcus." Her voice is tinted with relief. She grasps his shirt even tighter and Marcus lets out a sigh. His hands continue threading through her hair.

"It's okay, you're safe."

Abby chooses that moment to lift her head from his chest and glance up at him. She can see the worry in his eyes reflecting back at her. Marcus instantly notices tear streaks on her cheeks and traces his thumb gently across her skin to wipe them away.

"You're okay?" he asks. He keeps his hand on her face, making no attempt to move away.

Abby nods and leans slightly into his hand, taking comfort in his warmth.

After a moment, Marcus moves himself to sit up against the wall, bringing her with him and cradling her body against his. Abby moves her head to lie on his chest and focuses on he rhythm of his beating heart.

He places a soft kiss on top of her head and moves one of his hands to entwine with hers while the other rests on her arm, his thumb stroking across the material of her shirt. They lie there in silence, needing no words to communicate how intense they're both feeling at this very moment.

Minutes later, Marcus notices her breathing change and knows then that she's asleep. He doesn't move and instead stays where he is, allowing himself to drift off into slumber.

The last thought he has is of Abby, right before he closes his eyes.

* * *

The following two days, it's become a pattern. She awakens drenched in cold sweat and he holds her against his chest, threading his fingers through her hair and whispering words of comfort into her ears until she falls back to sleep. He only leaves Medical to gather enough food for the both of them and to check on everyone else in the camp.

The remaining survivors out of the hundred they sent to the ground aren't faring any better. They're plagued by nightmares of Mount Weather and some of them have even begun screaming in their sleep. Marcus knows that they've endured more than anyone else in the camp has and have come out as survivors.

* * *

On the fourth day following the events of Mount Weather, he makes his way back to Medical after completing his rounds sometime after sunset. He doesn't take as long as he normally does, not that he's complaining; he gets to have more time with her. They've become closer over the past three days and he's found himself craving her company. He's pretty sure she feels the same, if the lingering looks and the way her eyes light up when he enters Medical are anything to go by.

When he arrives at Medical, he's half expecting her to be sitting up on the cot, but instead he finds it empty.

"She went back to her tent a hour ago." Jackson informs him, shaking his head slightly. The young doctor clearly disapproves as much as he does.

Marcus sighs in frustration, but can't stay he's surprised. He is however surprised she's lasted this long without stubbornly refusing point blank to leave Medical.

* * *

When he arrives at her tent, he pulls open the curtain and is unimpressed with what he sees. She's limping, using a crutch to support herself that Raven has loaned her.

He folds his arms across his chest and leans against the entrance. She has her back to him, wincing slightly with each step she takes, no matter how small. She hasn't noticed him yet.

"What are you doing?"

Abby turns to face him, startled. She hadn't been expecting him yet. His face is blank, but his eyes tell another story.

"Marcus," His name leaves her in a shaky breath.

He uncrosses his arms and moves further into the tent, towards her until he's invading her personal space.

"You shouldn't be moving around."

His voice is firm, but gentle and although she can see how worried he is, Abby rolls her eyes. She's not a piece of glass.

"I'm the doctor here, Marcus. I know what I'm doing."

She makes an attempt to move towards her cot, trying to hold in the cry of pain. As soon as she takes a step forward, her leg gives out and she sways slightly, almost falling over in the process. Marcus catches her just in time, his hands wrapping around her waist to hold her in place.

"I've got you."

Abby's hands clutch at his arms, trying to hold herself upright.

"Lean into me." He offers.

Her body moves into his, the warmth of her presence merging with his and he gently guides her towards the bed. He glances every so often towards her face to see her reaction. She was biting down hard on her lip, her forehead scrunched in both pain and frustration. Even in pain, she was still the most stubborn woman he knew.

When they're at the edge of her cot, she turns and lets out a small hiss as she slowly lowers herself down onto the material. His hands support her arms firmly, keeping her steady. She lets out a heavy sigh, places the crutch at her side and prepares to move her legs onto her cot. The first is easy, but it's the other that has her grimacing at the sharp pain shooting up her leg.

Marcus notices her expression and moves his hands to support her leg instead. He gently eases it up onto the cot, trying not to cause her any more pain. He sits down on the edge next to her and he looks up at him, grateful.

"Thank you."

His eyes catch hers and he gazes into them a little longer than necessary. A shy smile forms on his face.

"No problem, Abby."

She returns the smile and moves her hand over his that's still resting on her leg. He glances down. Her touch is tender and sends his stomach erupting in a flock of butterflies. He turns their hands over, lacing their fingers together.

When his eyes meet hers, everything shifts and the tension that's been building up for months comes to a halt. They've been dancing around each other for far too long now. It was easy to ignore during everything with Mount Weather, but now things were different. They had no reason to remotely pretend that nothing was happening between them.

Neither one of them knows how it starts, but before they know it, his hand is moving a lock of hair away from her face and moving downwards to cup her cheek. Abby's breath catches in her throat and her eyes flicker to his mouth as he leans towards her. His eyes flicker to hers uncertainly when she stays frozen in shock, unmoving.

Abby notices the hesitation and moves closer. He takes it as a sign that she wants this; after all, Abby wouldn't do something if she didn't want to. Their lips draw closer, as if they were two poles of the same magnet. His breath is hot on her lips and barely brushing. Everything feels just right.

"Chancellor Griffin?"

The hesitant tone of voice startles them, causing them to rapidly move apart. They both glance towards the entrance of the tent and Marcus fights the urge to growl in frustration and send a glare towards where Bellamy Blake is standing, rather awkwardly and well aware of what he's just interrupted. He's no longer wearing the Mount Weather uniform he'd been sporting for a while now and is instead wearing an outfit similar to the one he'd been wearing when he'd first come to Earth.

"Bellamy," Abby smiles politely, if not slightly disappointed. "Is there something you need?"

Bellamy's eyes flicker from Abby to Marcus unsure, but speaks anyway.

"It's about Clarke."

Abby's smile fades. Marcus glances towards her, seeing the worry in her eyes and feels a pang of guilt. He'd wanted to tell her as soon as Clarke had left, but Bellamy had said he'd wanted to do it, that he's the only one who knows what Clarke did and why she left. Marcus had been hesitant in agreeing at first, but when he saw how Bellamy wasn't going to back down, he agreed.

His eyes move from Bellamy and back to Abby, undecided. Her eyes meet his and she nods in silent confirmation, knowing him well enough to interpret his body language without even a word.

"I'll be outside if you need me." He smiles, squeezing her hand before removing his fingers from hers. He immediately misses the contact, the warmth of her hand in his.

Abby nods, a small smile gracing her face. He claps his hand on Bellamy's shoulder before making his way out of the tent.

He stays outside as promised.

* * *

A while later, Bellamy exits the tent without much a glance towards his way. Marcus frowns, hoping it hadn't gone as bad as it looked.

When he pulls the curtain of the tent back, he sees her sitting on her cot, wiping tears off her face. She glances up at him, eyes glassy and trying to put on a brave face. He feels his heart shatter into pieces and he wonders just how bad it had gone.

He makes his way towards her and sits on the edge of the cot. Abby shifts over, giving him room to lie down next to her. Her head rests in the crook of his neck and his arms wrap around his waist securely. His left hand finds her right, entwining their fingers together.

Abby stays silent and he doesn't ask what happened. He feels her tears soak his shirt and holds her even tighter against him.

He knows she'll tell him when she's ready, but for now he just holds her.


End file.
